Escape Reality – Asylum

Theme:
“Rolling Hills Asylum became a derelict building after closing its doors 50 years ago. Rumour has it spirits were left behind and continue to roam the halls. You have broken into the derelict asylum to see if the rumours are in fact true. After feeling uneasy once inside you attempt to leave but you have lost your way. Can you escape from the asylum before the spirits that remain here capture you!”

Asylum looked good, with good attention to the set design leading to this being one of the more impressive Escape Reality Rooms we’ve played. There was nothing really that caused distractions or red herrings. Immersion was good, with the room having an eerie feeling and a good soundtrack that complimented the room.
The light level was never an issue within the game and the space was more than large enough for 6 players.

Game Play:
A linear game, with a couple of open moments later in the game the consisted of almost exclusively logic and observation puzzles.
Puzzles were mainly on theme and sound in their logic, although the ah-ha moments were laborious to get to and weren’t the most joyous puzzles to solve, a few of them felt like taking a “test” of sorts and there were a few frustrating moments in the game.
Signposting was distinctly lacking, with all of the connections being left to the player to make. This obviously severely impacted the flow of the game as it felt like a very static game that never pushed forward.
That being said, there were a few nice moments and the room itself had a good sense of exploration.

Clue System:
Clues were delivered via an iPad.

Game Host:
Fin was our game host and he was very accommodating, friendly and professional. He delivered a good brief and backstory to the room! He also spotted a big reset error and delt with it in the smoothest way possible, so much so that Ian didn’t even notice!